tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72545368542958260082014-10-02T22:58:59.189-06:00Anthony Harris ArtChronicling his attempts to become a comic book artist, to become a real boy, to overcome a perspective of insoluble doubt, and the feeling that nothing of interest will be said here at all... ever...absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-43370890119348752472009-09-13T20:52:00.001-06:002009-09-13T20:52:40.490-06:00Thou Shall Not Fall, Ya'll!Things that get my giggle going? G Tom Mac being inspired by True Blood & re-recording his classic hit 'Cry Little Sister' as the Blood Swamp Version. Get your listen on!<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rvDThCQFbUA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rvDThCQFbUA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvDThCQFbUA">Click Here to go directly there</a>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-16725331632382950872009-08-28T12:45:00.002-06:002009-08-28T12:53:17.832-06:00Bookie short filmSomedays, you get happy just finding things like this online. Bookie is a great short film by Tran Quoc Bao. Beautifully shot, dripping noir, and a soulful soundtrack, I was sucked in quick and loved every second of it.<br /><br />Link to Bookie website <a href="http://bookiethemovie.com/">here</a> or just watch the movie below.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="220"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5709951&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5709951&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="220"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5709951">"BOOKIE" Short Film</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/povfilms">povfilms</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-18026155164749650812009-08-21T04:32:00.003-06:002009-08-21T05:14:08.800-06:00AnhedoniaI'm finding it harder and harder to keep up the mask. As I sit here, face frozen in a childish & ungrateful pout, I can't help but wonder why I'm still trying. The more I try to edit every passing thought down into an easily-digestible version for the people around me, the more I just become enraged by it.<br /><br /><b><i>Sui Generis</i></b><br /><br />We spend most of our lives building around ourselves carefully constructed walls of faces & idle-thoughts. We wear masks we change at whim, becoming who we need to be to fit into any given situation. We are a society of shape-shifters wearing borrowed bits of personalities we admire or fear, cobbled together in atrocious quilts we laughingly claim we *are* while hiding beneath their fragile shells. Meanwhile, who we truly are thrashes about on basement floors, muscles atrophied, throats worn thin by decades of screaming to be heard, eyes still wide as Hummer hubcaps, hoping to see a glimmer of daylight, longing to be free. Then we wonder why no one <b>truly</b> gets us. Go figure.<br /><br />I'm sick of it, hiding bits of myself I previously thought too wild or weird to be the face that people see. Sometimes, I can't tell what the hell I want or how the hell I'm supposed to get what I do want. That's okay. That also means I have to be okay with the times when I feel like burning down the world or crying like a baby or laughing till I choke. It means coming to grips with the idea that most people aren't like me and changing myself isn't the answer.<br /><br />I want a world & a life that feels right for me, I have to be <b>me</b> and look for the things that will make me happy. I have to let go and take the dive and all the other silly little cliches that are cliches for a reason.<br /><br />I can see the scaffolding holding up the walls of my own insanity, but I can't seem to find a way to either tear them down or build em up. It's like swimming parallel to the shore and wondering why you can't get home and you're starting to drown.<br /><br />Coming to grips with my own ennui and trying to find the will to fight for something, <b>anything</b> really, is a lot harder than I was told it would be.absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-24054873580697129702009-07-29T23:56:00.002-06:002009-07-30T00:36:49.125-06:00July 30th 09One day you wake up and realize that the most important thing in life is following your dreams. You make rash decisions, burn bridges, and run headlong into what other people would consider the dumbest possible outcome they could think of, and it's freaking fantastic.<br /><br />I feel more myself now than I have in years. It's like waking up from a coma and realizing everything that came before was a dream. Your path is clearer, mind sharper, and heart lighter than it's been in a long time. It's hard knowing that I'm happy and I'm gonna get my nuts kicked in for it because the world around me does not understand it.<br /><br />Art wise, I'm still hammering Lina's world into something manageable that I can get to drawing, but I'm working on some test bed pages to try out the style & look of the world to see if it's anything like I want it to be. You folks will see some of that coming down the pike in the near future.<br /><br />In the meantime, as stated in a previous blog, here is a Wonder Woman piece I did for a friend. You can click on it to go to the page to see a full view of the piece since it is pretty big. More coming in the near future.<br /><br /><a href="http://anthonyharrissketch.deviantart.com/art/Wonder-Woman-sketch-130268276"><img src="http://th03.deviantart.net/fs47/150/f/2009/201/4/e/Wonder_Woman_sketch_by_anthonyharrissketch.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><p><br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Lily Allen - The Fear</b><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q-wGMlSuX_c&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q-wGMlSuX_c&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-5686442291306246592009-07-17T15:10:00.004-06:002009-07-17T15:29:22.392-06:00July 17: HBP & concept babblingG'day boys & girls, <br />Welcome to another horrible disjointed babbling session.<br /><br />Last night, I went and saw the new Harry Potter flick. Visually, it was a feast and they did a great job of making it into something that grabbed the attention of the audience. Obviously, I miss a lot of what was cut out of the movie & the pacing seemed strange because of it, but I can see why they did what they did.<br /><br />To put it succinctly, I will just use a quote my friend, Larry, said as we were leaving the theater.<br />"It was like reading every third page of the book."<br /><br />I loved seeing Draco as someone who seemed genuinely menacing and really did feel for the character by the time you get to the end of the movie. Luna was amazing and that lion headress rocked. Overall, it sort of feels like a half-remembered dream. I'll have to see it again before I really know how I feel about it, but I know, either way, I did like the movie a lot.<br /><br />I'm still pounding out the details on the world & story that I want to work on right now, but it's coming along. I was sketching the main character today and had one of those rare "Eureka!" moments that really cemented a lot of the ideas I was working on. Lina is one of the characters I've been casually playing with for awhile and it was great to really see the character come together for the first time. I should be starting on the test pages tonight or tomorrow, so there will be stuff to see from that online in the near future. Who knows what changes will be made from there, but, if nothing else, at least I'll have some new sequential pages online for folks to check out.<br /><br />The more I work on stuff now the more I find I am drawn to drawing sci-fi books, which is miles from what I thought I would be into drawing. Part of the fun of this concept is that it is a story in a real sci-fi world. I will get to draw flying cars, neon-cityscapes, gun play, and hot women kicking ass. Really, at the end of the day, what more can you ask for?<br /><br />In other art related news, I asked some folks I know stuff they want to see me draw and will be hammering those out now as well, probably as warm up sketches over the next week or so.<br /><br />Anyway, I think I'm gonna grab a soda & get back to drawing.<br /><br />Till Next Time,<br />Anthony Harrisabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-54318973357812547742009-07-14T09:36:00.002-06:002009-07-14T09:55:31.352-06:00July 14: Bad artist babblingYou know, when faced with an endless sea of options as to what to draw and what to do to take the steps necessary to nail down some intangible path towards making your life what it is you've always wanted, one, and by one I, of course, mean me, is generally left huddled up in the fetal position in a corner somewhere, weeping softly into a pile of tarnished bristol board , futilely praying that your tears will reveal a pattern on the page that may give you some idea what the hell to do with yourself.<br /><br />It's harder than I thought trying to come to grips with the idea that the possibilities are endless, my work is only limited by my imagination. The work one can do in the comics medium isn't limited by budget or actors. I can set a scene *anywhere* and can do *anything.* That sort of freedom is mind-boggling and is, for lack of a better term or a willingness to admit to already being considered it, making me crazy. When you sit down to create something, the process is somewhat aleatoric and can be either a masterpiece or self-aggrandizing fluff that forces onlookers to jab nearby objects into their frontal lobe to avoid being forced to view it again.<br /><br />This is why I am probably going to be a plug & play penciller for awhile. I'm great with coming up with scenes or characters, plotting is fun and interesting, but sit me down to create a complete work and I can't seem to do it. The ideas are plentiful, but I am not a writer. Creating realised worlds to inhabit and a story worth following is something I am not good enough to do at this point. This fact makes me sad, since it doesn't seem the rest of the comic industry is very interested in the kinds of stories I want to tell.<br /><br />I am a fairly typical guy when it comes to this stuff. I like hot chicks & men dripping with machismo. I like trenchcoats & purple prose. I adore cyberpunk and cityscapes that go on for days. I swoon over kung fu, gunplay, fully realised violence and wanton destruction. These disparate elements are not all very good at meshing together in my brain in anything resembling a coherant story structure. I have 3 pretty well realised concepts that I would love to working on at this moment, but instead I am sitting here , babbling the madness into the internet, trying to get a handle on my own sanity through forcing thoughts into sentences that others can read and understand. This is the blog version of babbling about your problems to friends, not so much so that they can respond or help in any way, but just so that you've had a chance to say the things on your mind and really get a handle on your problems.<br /><br />I'm going to go get something to drink and sit down to draw now. Hopefully, I'll have something to scan & get online to show folks in time for the podcast tonight. I'm getting tired of becoming a ghost on my own damn show.absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-30332127230412296342009-06-12T17:12:00.003-06:002009-06-12T17:25:08.870-06:00EmbiggenHello all. Hope you've been well. I'm burning the candle at both ends & once in the middle , so I haven't been around to blog as much as I'd like to. I'd love to say my time away has started a tsunami of anecdotal events & stories that I could share in a fun and meaningful fashion, but that would be a giant lie, and I can't lie to you, dear readers, never to you.<br /><br />That said, next week I am going on vacation. I am heading to Heroes Con in Charlotte and I am eagerly counting down the days until I leave. Actually, I'm eagerly counting down the hours left to work before I leave, but it all evens out in the end. I, apparently, have to go pants shopping because my pants, while somewhat baggy before, are now in the realm of embarrassingly large on me. It's a nice problem to have, but still fairly weird. I don't *feel* like I've lost that much weight, but my entire wardrobe looks like I embiggened it in the laundry. Impossible, I know, but that doesn't mean I won't say it. That and I like using fake words like embiggen.<br /><br />The closer I get to my vacation the more I stop caring about my job and start feeling more myself. I've been in this slump so long I had forgotten what it was like to feel that way and I'm getting greedy for it. I'm sleeping less and I'm going out more. It's tiring, but it's worth it. It's not healthy to have your social interactions be ten hours a day on a phone listening to people bitch about their television service. I missed my friends, I missed having time to think, and, mainly, I missed having time to sit around and draw. It's all I want in my life and I haven't truly had time for it in months, that's just not right.<br /><br />Anyway, I've ramble/bitched for long enough for one <strike>day</strike> lifetime<br /><br />Till Next Time<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-68357128435346299732009-05-22T22:53:00.004-06:002009-05-22T23:07:06.409-06:00May 22 2009: The one where I see Terminator SalvationJust got home from Terminator Salvation. Definitely had a good time and it was much better than I thought it would be. Seeing an entire movie set in the post-apocalyptic future of the Terminator series was an idea that filled me with some dread, being a fan of the series and getting pretty heavily invested in the world again due to the Sarah Connor Chronicles, but McG actually pulled it off and it was a fun ride, second only to Star Trek as far as movies I really enjoyed in '09. Sam Worthington really added a lot to the flick and one of his fights was a particular highlight of the movie for me. The actor that played young Kyle Reese was really good and Moon Bloodgood reminded me why I liked her in the first place. If you are on the fence, I would say go ahead, hop off, and go see the flick. Besides, sitting on fences can't be all that comfortable.<br /><br />In other movie news, watched an anime flick I'd been wanting to catch, Vexille, with my friend, Larry. WTF?!? I am sad I finally watched it. The idea I had in my head of what it would be after seeing the trailer and hearing the plot synopsis was <b>much</b> better than what I was actually treated to. Where are the good sci-fi yarns? We have the technology to make some amazing things and I get stuff like Vexille and Babylon A.D.<br /><br />Urge to create random comics just to play with my own ideas of sci-fi, cyberpunk, and gun-fu rising rapidly.<br /><br />Anyway, I have to get up for work in 4 hours. Will try to remember to actually make some posts here in the near future.<br /><br />Till Next Time,<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-17322624406333029602009-05-08T11:16:00.005-06:002009-05-08T12:00:53.304-06:00May 08: Sounds of SilenceSilence, not particularly golden, in my opinion.<br /><br />Yup, that's right, I lost my voice. I was forced to leave work after I coughed so much and so hard that I outright lost the ability to speak. I didn't feel that bad to begin with, but coughing with the consistency of gunfire and explosions in a John Woo/Michael Bay marathon means your throat gets odds prickly by the end. Apparently, it's next to impossible to do technical support by phone when you can't *speak* to the customers. I tried for 2 hours, but I just got progressively worse and the number of times my directions were met with "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said" was rising exponentially. Now, I'm home, lamenting the fact that this means I am going to have to bust my butt the rest of the week to make up the hours. At this point, I just hope to get it back in time for work tomorrow, so that my week is not entirely shot.<br /><br />I'm supposed to see Star Trek tonight with some friends, but that is entirely dependent on how I'm feeling later. I will, more than likely, go anyway, because I am incredibly psyched to go see this flick. For the most part, I love J.J. Abrams, and the idea of him directing a new version of Star Trek has me giddy like a schoolgirl.<br /><br />Speaking of Abrams, anyone ever used "Abram men" in a sentence before? It's supposed to be an old idiom for fake or pretend crazy men. I have no idea where I heard it first, but it sneaks out in conversation every once in awhile and I have *never* had another person know what the hell I was talking about. Sometimes, I think there is a part of my brain feeding me misinformation, so, now I end up saying things that make no damn sense. Like there is a rogue sector in my brain creating colloquial metaphors only I will know. You might think that would be fun, and sometimes it is, but, for the most part, it just means I am saying what I mean but I just come off as crazier than I am... making <b>me</b> an Abram man?<br /><br />Okay, not really, but I felt I needed some way to bring closure to the blatant digression there before it veered too far off into the realm of schizothemia.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm gonna go drink some tea and try to find music I can listen to, but that I won't try to sing to.<br /><br />I think my grammar, syntax, and punctuation is actually getting worse. I'm fairly certain that I'm actually becoming stupider by repeated exposure to certain facets of the internet. Thank god for the Nerdfighters. Without them, I would probably be eating Cheetos, drinking frat house levels of beer, and watching nothing but reality TV.<br /><br />Okay, I'm babbling. Goodbye.<br />Anthony<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Lacuna Coil - Enjoy the Silence</b><br /><br />To stay with the theme of today's post, the song of the day is one of my favorite bands, Lacuna Coil, with their cover of Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lx58hXh4pVA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lx58hXh4pVA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-3877764394761115922009-05-07T14:01:00.002-06:002009-05-07T14:13:59.515-06:00May 07 : The One Where I Talk More About NothingListening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, making plans to break down the walls and build my life anew. Scary stuff.<br /><br />I'm actually having issues with my scanner right now, which is a big part of why you haven't seen new art here recently. Got a friend coming by later tonight who said it may not be as bad as I make it sound, so here's hoping I get to put up new stuff in the next couple days. It would also help to be able to get my art to Grace so she can color it before the deadline, you know, so I can get it printed and start building a resume/name for myself.<br /><br />Hope everyone in BEDA land is well. I needed the break to recharge creatively. I was so far beyond burnt out that being creative the last 2 weeks of BEDA was damn near impossible. I'll be back soon with a little more of the personal psychosis that you all know and love... Watch and fear? Are inured &amp; apathetic to...?<br /><br />Whatever, I'll be back soon.<br /><br /><b>Song(s) of the Day: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll/Zero</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RkYfNYY1Bn8&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RkYfNYY1Bn8&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />You keep building them Jell-O Ponies and I'll keep eating em,<br />Anthony<br /><br />(No, there is no real explanation for that one, I just like Jell-O in animal shapes)absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-8985810602199422142009-04-30T19:19:00.003-06:002009-04-30T19:25:51.312-06:00BEDA 30: Bad Vlog & Goodbye Beda!Yes, I vlogged. It is crap. I don't care.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HImSbgEeJ0M&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HImSbgEeJ0M&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Anyway, I really do appreciate the opportunity to do BEDA and I think I will continue to consistently blog from now on, although, not at the BEDA rate, for my own sanity. Thanks again to everyone I met, talked to, and stalked over the past month. I really did have a great time getting to know you all and I wish you all the best.<br /><br />Long as we're going out, let's go out on top, shall we?<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day : Bill Medley &amp; Jennifer Warnes - I've Had the Time of My Life</b><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RH0lEVMuzzw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RH0lEVMuzzw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-18110927436105077302009-04-29T19:11:00.004-06:002009-04-29T20:45:48.342-06:00BEDA 29: Commercial Jingles & Love SongsYou ever get some stupid, little song stuck in your head that just won't come out. When you sing it, people stare at you and wonder what you are on? Yeah, that's been my experience over and over again with a particular song/jingle. What is it? Glad you asked (glad I can pretend you asked so I have something to blog about today)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WYkLCYiE3TY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WYkLCYiE3TY&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Yeah, it's a bit insulting and, most of the time, I can't remember what beer company I'm supposed to be buying because of it, but I do loves me that song. Can't explain why either. I know I thought it was funny as all get out when I first heard it, but, to this day, don't know why it gets stuck in my head at random times. They even made one for a "Wingdog" too. Don't believe me?<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w0gP89dl5gE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w0gP89dl5gE&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />What does any of this have to do with anything? Not a damn thing, but's it's my BEDA Blog and I'll babble about anything I dang well please, thank you very much.<br /><br />Tomorrow will be the end of BEDA and I'll do my best to get up a Vlog, *if* I have the brain power to record and edit the dang thing after 12 hours of work.<br /><br />Anyway, since I didn't post any songs yesterday, let's make today Love Song day, shall we?<br /><br /><b>Song(s) of the Day: Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zrzr4R3LpsQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Zrzr4R3LpsQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Yeah, I'm a hopeless romantic and this is my theme song. Ever since I was a kid, this song has been a big part of my idea of romance. Blame Lloyd Dobler, blame Cameron Crowe, blame the boombox over the head, but it all comes together to be one of the most enduring and endearing expressions of love I've ever witnessed and it is the backbone of my idealised view of love.<br /><br /><b>Celine Dion &amp; Clive Griffen - When I Fall in Love</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1w3ClvxUNxk&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1w3ClvxUNxk&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Sleepless in Seattle. Nuff said. Seriously, though. To this day, I still have a crush on Meg Ryan. How could you not? Part of the reason I sing the way I do is emulating Clive Griffen about a billion times since the first time I heard this song. Why am I putting up a Beauty &amp; the Beast vid version of the song? Because the actual video was "embedding disabled" and after 10 minutes, I gave up.<br /><br />Speaking of love songs.<br /><br /><b>Rent - I'll Cover You (reprise)</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gmvmoWa_Cko&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gmvmoWa_Cko&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Yeah, lately, if I'm singing, there's a good chance I'm singing a Collins tune. Great songs, great voice, gotta love it.<br /><br />Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of love songs. Just a couple that are on my mind lately.<br /><br />Anyway, see you all tomorrow.<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-50090906641047199192009-04-28T23:36:00.002-06:002009-04-28T23:48:26.604-06:00BEDA 28: Sheesh, skip this one tooAlmost midnight and I'm still awake and online. Finished doing the podcast and now we're just hanging out, talking comics, movies, and art. Yup, I'm back on the podcast again. I decided that I don't care what happens with my job and I <b>need</b> to be following my dreams.<br /><br />Screw my life, I'm making comics.<br /><br />Making comics is the only thing that I've wanted to do with my life and I just find it ridiculous that I'm letting anything get in my way. In this, the digital age, there is no reason I can't just be making books, popping stuff online, and sharing it with people, making the first steps I need to make my dreams a reality. I'm not allowing the excuses stop me anymore. I wanna be an artist, the only way to be one is to START FREAKING DRAWING!<br /><br />I feel bad not having anything to say here recently, this last week of BEDA is me running around like a freak, working way too many hours and trying to take care of my life with the few hours left in the day. It's pathetic and I do apologize. I'm just burning out and it's hard to write about anything else when you are becoming mad from your job actually being your life.<br /><br />Anyway, off to talk to my friends for a little longer before I pass out.<br /><br />Until Tomorrow,<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-13096668302826894402009-04-27T23:09:00.003-06:002009-04-29T19:08:56.035-06:00BEDA 27It is 11:52 pm as I begin writing this. I still have to work tomorrow and at least <b>*try*</b> to have some semblance of a social life, shallow and empty as some of these attempts may be. To make up for my neglect of you, dear readers, in these, our final days of BEDA, I do solemnly swear that I will make a VLOG before the month is out. I think I even have a topic in mind.<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Pomplamoose - Beat the Horse</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8oJgqbgvInk&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8oJgqbgvInk&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Found Jack and Nataly on Youtube awhile back, I dig them both and their music, give it a listen.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic<br /><br />(This part copied from their page to explain for the <strike>noobs</strike> unitiated.)<br /><span>Tunes: </span><span></span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/PomplamooseITunes" target="_blank" title="http://tinyurl.com/PomplamooseITunes" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr">http://tinyurl.com/PomplamooseITunes</a><span><a href="http://tinyurl.com/PomplamooseITunes" target="_blank" title="http://tinyurl.com/PomplamooseITunes" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr"></a><br /><br />or mp3 download w/ a major credit card, Paypal or Google Checkout,:<br /></span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/pomplamoosemusic" target="_blank" title="http://www.myspace.com/pomplamoosemusic" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr"><span></span></a><a href="http://www.myspace.com/pomplamoosemusic" target="_blank" title="http://www.myspace.com/pomplamoosemusic" rel="nofollow" dir="ltr">http://www.myspace.com/pomplamoosemusic</a><span><br /><br />Pomplamoose is Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte<br /><br />A VideoSong is a new Medium with two rules:<br /><br />1. What you see is what you hear (no lip-syncing for instruments or voice).<br />2. If you hear it, at some point you see it (no hidden sounds).</span><br /><br />(End Pomplamoose Shilling, it's not like I even know these people)<br /><br />Anyway, have a good night, as it is now midnight I think I loose the game again.<br /><br />Until Later Today,<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-88575447193310176142009-04-26T19:25:00.002-06:002009-04-26T19:47:20.800-06:00BEDA 26:I'm starting to get the itch to draw all the time again, which is nice, since, you know, I want my life to be drawing all the time. My life was sucking the creative energy out of me for a long time now, and I just let it happen. I miss the world, I'm not really a part of it lately.<br /><br />I'd love to write more, but I really need to try to get 8 hours sleep tonight, since I worked an 11-hour day today and I'm working 12 tomorrow. I'll try to be witty tomorrow, but it may have to wait until Tuesday when I'm actually awake enough to think.<br /><br /><b> Song(s) of the Day: </b> Couldn't decide which one I wanted to put up, so you get a special Sunday Skunk Anansie two-fer.<br /><br /><b>Skunk Anansie - Brazen (Weep)</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gm3z3i_xfaM&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gm3z3i_xfaM&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><b>Skunk Anansie - Hedonism</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nwzgak0pNpk&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nwzgak0pNpk&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-84589367590080380242009-04-25T19:06:00.002-06:002009-04-25T20:30:09.458-06:00BEDA 25: Just skip this oneQuick Ick: There was a sewage backup in the system at work today, so I spent my day inhaling human feces. I need *so* many more showers until I will feel clean.<br /><br />Quick Pick: My brain, rampaging against the inside walls of my skull like a 4-year-old hopped up on speed in a rubber room, is not allowing much with the thinking. I'd love it if I had some magnificent plan in mind for what I was writing tonight, but, nope, there's nothing there. My grey matter is a diseased thing, unable to think beyond childish and immature babblings. Perfect babble blog time.<br /><br />Every been fascinated with someone and found out their aura of aloofness was actually an I.Q. in the teens?<br /><br /><span class="body">"It's easy to fool the eye but it's hard to fool the heart.</span>" Al Pacino turns 69 today.<br /><br />Ever sat around for half an hour thinking of absolutely nothing worthwhile, not even witty banter you can babble about, and just ended up surfing the net for no reason, stopping on anything of interest, trying to grab *ANYTHING* worth blogging about?<br /><br />On This Day in History: 1792 - Highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the first person under French law to be executed by guillotine.<br /><br />Every woken up to realise the dream you just had was better than most of the movies you've seen in the past year and been sad that no one cares about dreams, so you can't even share it with anyone?<br /><br />OTDH: 1928 - The first seeing eye dog w<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>as presented to Morris S. Frank.<br /><br />Right, and with that, I will see myself out of writing a blog. See what I did there, with the pun-like thing? Yeah, not funny, I know. I am a suck hole, full of suck, king of suck. HAIL TO THE FREAKING SUCK KING!<br /><br />ugh.<br /><br />Nevermind, that's it. I'm not even trying anymore.<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Emiliana Torrini - Dead Things</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7qphtqpcZC0&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7qphtqpcZC0&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Sleep now, blog later<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-52703651549296537092009-04-24T18:53:00.004-06:002009-04-24T19:13:05.981-06:00BEDA 24: 7 Days...<a href="http://maureenjohnson.ning.com/">Maureen</a> put out the idea of spending this final week of BEDA (sad panda) looking back on what you hoped to accomplish and trying to interact more with the community. I have about 30 minutes to post this, eat dinner, and pass out so I don't die due to exhaustion, so I'm going to babble about why I am doing this and try interacting with people again tomorrow.<br /><br />Originally, I decided to take part in BEDA as a way to force myself to write and be creative. My job is killing me by inches and I've let a lot of things I've wanted to do over the past 4 months slide because I told myself I couldn't do them with the schedule I'm working. It's true, it's hard to get things going when I'm running around like a chicken with the head cut off, but that's not really an excuse. I'm letting it go, all the things I really want, and that is not right. BEDA was a reason to focus and do something fairly easy, babble for a couple minutes into a blog that almost no one reads and force myself to start taking it back. Inch by inch, word by word, I was going to claw my way, kicking and screaming, into the life I want to have instead of the one I keep feeling I am inevitably forced to lead.<br /><br />Now, I've learned that being this free, babbling without worry, saying things without an audience in mind, is really great. You have to let go of the fear in order to overcome it. Since so much of my life has been ruled by fear, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, I need to get over the fear and just be happy doing what I do. Every day, with each stupid little blog, I feel a little stronger, a little more myself again. Granted, it's making it harder and harder to go to sleep so early and get up at 3 a.m. for work, but I feel that, whatever may come, I'll be alright in the end.<br /><br />Who would have thought something as simple as a blog would make me feel like a stronger person after only a month?<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Tricky - Hollow</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aP8RCC8r2C8&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aP8RCC8r2C8&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Feeling pretty chill today, let's go with a little Tricky as our song of the day, shall we?<br /><br />I'm kind of digging putting up music with every post, think I may keep that up until the end of this thing.<br /><br />Anyway, that's all for today. Tomorrow? Who the heck knows?!?<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-4297668872533359592009-04-23T18:52:00.003-06:002009-04-23T19:35:24.991-06:00BEDA 23: Anthony and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayAfter today, there is only one week left of BEDA. Will I miss another day? Will I snap and start writing about tons of things you don't want to know about me? Will I actually make a vlog for one of these freaking days? Stay tuned to find out, get your front row seats to my inevitable mental breakdown!<br /><br />Moving on.<br /><br />Today...<br /><br />Today was one of those days where you just spend most of it trying to convince yourself it's a bad idea to run home, pack up a few belongings, and just leave town.<br /><br />I spent the first part of the day working, big surprise, before I had to come back home to deal with a ticket I got back in January. This ticket was for having expired plates on my car. Yes, this was my first ticket. No, I was not doing anything else that caused the officer to pull me over. I just happened to have a cop behind me at a stoplight, he noticed my tags, and it was sirens and a heart attack for me, since I had no idea the plates were expired and had no idea why I was being pulled over.<br /><br />I got my tags renewed a few days later, when I got paid, and, after talking to a few friends about it, tried to call the court to see about getting it waived. This may not have been a good plan.<br /><br />"No, I'm sorry. We haven't received your ticket yet. Call us in a week when we have it in the office to go over it with you."<br /><br /><i>One week later.</i><br />"No, I'm sorry. You're ticket still hasn't come in to our offices. If it is only that one infraction, then you <b>*should*</b> be able to come in once we've received it to get that cleared."<br />"It is just the one infraction. Why would I lie about that? I know you are going to be able to *look* at it once it gets there."<br />"Yes, well, some people lie about these things."<br />"Well, I'm not. I guess I'll just have to call back in a week."<br /><br />This went on for about a month and a half, going back and forth with different people, explaining my situation again and again and again. I have no idea what continent-spanning journey my ticket went on, but I like to think it took a 13 Little Blue Envelopes tour of Europe and helped to make someones life better during it's travels. Anyway, I called back again at the end of March to try, once again, to get this resolved.<br /><br />"I'm sorry, it's past the date when you needed to pay your fine."<br />"But... Someone in your office said to wait until it got there and then I could get it cleared by showing my proof of registration?"<br />"I'm sorry, sir, that's not really how that works. You'll just have to come down on the court date on your ticket to get everything paid/taken care of."<br /><br />SO, I hung up, cursed until the paint peeled on my walls, and told my boss I would need to leave early on the 23rd, today, so I could deal with this whole ticket issue. Fast forward to today. I went in to work, as always, at 4:45 am, worked till 9, and took off to get down here, take a shower so I didn't feel funky going in to the Justice Center, and headed on down.<br /><br />I arrived, did the security scan, and waited in line to check in. I explained my ticket and my story to the first clerk and was informed to go wait at a different window. So, I shuffled over to that line, waited about 45 min to speak to someone, and explained the whole thing again. Then I waited in a line to speak to the court clerks office. Then I waited at the next window, and so on, and so forth , FOR FOUR FREAKING HOURS!<br /><br />Good news is, I did get my ticket cleared by showing my proof of registration to the clerk standing *next* to the first clerk I talked to. She wondered why I had been there so long, I tried not to explode, you know, since she was actually so helpful. Then I headed over to get some food with a friend, Mike, nearby.<br /><br />We watched a movie, Bangkok Dangerous (eh), and I headed for home. Once home, I was greeted by a call from my Grandmother telling me my cousin had gotten into an accident , wrecked his car, had a concussion, stitches in his head, and might have fractured his hip and/or ruptured something, but she wasn't sure exactly what. So, now, I'm trying to just relax and let that all go, because I still have to go to sleep in 30 or so minutes so I have the energy to deal with working a 12 hour day tomorrow to make up the hours I missed today.<br /><br />So, road trip anyone?<br /><br />Also, yes, I know this day doesn't qualify as actually being that horrifically bad, it doesn't even make my top ten, I just thought of the title and had to use it.<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Rob Dougan - Furious Angels</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HDi9OeJqwG4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HDi9OeJqwG4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I love the song. I love the video. Enjoy.<br /><br />Sorry, I no longer have the mental capability to properly talk about music right now.<br /><br />Until Tomorrow,<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-49407559086215083692009-04-22T18:13:00.002-06:002009-04-22T19:00:59.015-06:00BEDA 22: "GO JOE!" & TeardropOkay, I know I was going to write about something else today, but all of that got wiped out by the fact I can watch new G.I. Joe clips online.<br /><br />"G.I. Joe?" You might ask, making me feel even older than normal.<br /><br />Yes! G.I. freaking JOE! Warren Ellis, my favorite comic book writer, wrote the screenplay for a new series of more adult oriented Joe tales and they are being put up on Adult Swim as we speak. Saturday, at midnight, they are airing all the pieces together, with the final ten minute finale, as the full 60-minute movie. It's sort of along the lines of the Clone Wars series that Tartakovsky did awhile back, a series of 10 five minute clips and one 10 minute finale. People get shot with bullets and die, Cobra Commander tells his troops they will be with him and take over the world or oppose him and he will gut them like a fish, Snake Eyes slices and dices Cobra Troops LIKE A FREAKING NINJA (mostly of the gory stuff is off-screen, but you can still hear it), it's freaking awesome. It is *not* for little kiddies, but folks like me, who grew up on this stuff, and still occasionally scream things like "Co bra. CO-BRA!!!" at passersby, will probably love it.<br /><br />Anyway, head over to <a href="http://www.adultswim.com/">Adult Swim</a> if you want to check it out. As of today, the first 8 parts are online. I believe parts 9 and 10 will go up tomorrow and 11 will go up after the movie airs.<br /><br />Well, either way, "Now you know" (say it with me, now) "and knowing is half the battle."<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: G.I. Joe movie theme!</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2xML0U4TYp0&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2xML0U4TYp0&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Seriously, though.<br /><br /><b> Song of the Day: Massive Attack - Teardrop</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NmB5SG5PpSI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NmB5SG5PpSI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Many of you may know this song as the theme to House, but it's been one of my favorite songs for a decade now. I am a big fan of trip-hop and Massive Attack was the instigator of my trying to find out just what it was all about. Liz Fraser is the voice that you are now wishing you had. Don't deny it, hell, I'm a grown man and *I* want to be able to sing like Liz Fraser, so you don't have to hide from your jealousy and envy.<br /><br />Also, this video is probably the creepiest damn video for something that I am in love with. So, feel free to ignore the video and just listen to music.<br /><br />Once again, you want to hear more, just go over to the Last fm page for <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Massive+Attack">Massive Attack</a>. Anything there is going to be good, but my viewpoint is a tad bit biased.<br /><br />Anyway, that's all for today. I see Hayleyghoover has put up a new annoyances vid, so I'm gonna go watch that, episodes 7 &amp; 8 of G.I. Joe, and pass the heck out.<br /><br />Until Tomorrow,<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-21628673297078002732009-04-21T22:15:00.004-06:002009-04-21T23:15:42.288-06:00BEDA 21: The one where I missed a dayLet's tell you about my day yesterday, since I passed out almost immediately after getting home and didn't *gasp* get my blog done. Worked from 4:45 am till about 3 pm then went home for a quick shower since I was meeting my mom for dinner. Mom treated me to a belated birthday dinner at a place called Thai Basil. Food was, as I'd heard, very good, but spicy as all hell.<br /><br />After that, I went and saw Crank High Voltage with my friend, Larry. We both decided we had fun but that Crank 2 is a horrible movie. I don't even know how to describe it, it's like a 13-year-old boy got his wet dreams made into a Hollywood movie. It's 1 part video game made live action, 1 part nudity and gore, 1 part Looney Tunes cartoon, and 4 parts HORRIBLE FREAKING MOVIE!!! Got home around 11pm and, after that movie, my brain was so fried, I just laid down and passed out.<br /><br />Today was my day off. I * should* have gone in to work to get a couple extra hours in, but I really can't make myself go there every day of the week. That's how crazy people become crazy, or so I've decided in order to justify the fact I completely blew it off. Not sleeping right lately, I'm just hoping this isn't going to turn into another bout of insomnia. Bah, my brain is mush. <br /><br />Moving on as music week continues. I should warn you, my taste in music is wide and varied. I listen to pretty much everything from Misfits to Muppets. Some of it you may like, some of it may make you drop kick a panda... or something... I don't know, don't look at me, you're the one reacting so strangely to new music as to drop kick a defenseless creature, it's even on the endangered species list. Shame on you...<br /><br />Anyway, on to the music.<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Xavier Nadoo &amp; RZA - I've Never Seen</b><br /><br />"So, what song are we listening to today?"<br />"'I've Never Seen.' It's a love song by the RZA and Xavier Nadoo"<br />"A love song? By the RZA?"<br />"Yeah."<br />"Wu-Tang RZA?"<br />"Yeah..."<br />"..."<br />"What?"<br />"Seriously?"<br />"Just shut up and listen to the track."<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l9rv1B619yI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l9rv1B619yI&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-25201352388442275302009-04-19T17:45:00.004-06:002009-04-20T15:57:35.227-06:00BEDA 19: Sia - Breathe MeSo, for something a little different, I decided I shall post a bit about my favorite music this week.<br /><br />As this is the first post, I am going to dedicate this whole blog to one of my favorite songs, but the rest of the week will probably include the crazy babbling that all *3* of the people that read my blog seem to enjoy.<br /><br /><b>Song of the Day: Sia - Breathe Me.</b><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1wPo993nWGw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1wPo993nWGw&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />(No, that is not the actual music video, but it was a Youtube clip I could embed that had decent sound on it, and really, all I care about is the sound.)<br /><br />From the first moment I heard this song I was in love with Sia. I'd been listening to Zero 7 for awhile and got a bug in my butt to find out who the voice behind my favorite tracks was (See: Zero 7-Destiny, also Distractions). Breathe Me was the first track listing I found online and I popped over to some odd url or other to give it a listen, and, oh my god, I was gone.<br /><br />Piano and strings are already grabbing handfuls of your still beating heart before Sia rips into your soul with a single word: "Help." From there, I knew I was going to be listening to this song for the rest of my life. Loneliness drips off the track and you're knee deep 30 seconds in. The emotions, from lyrics and vocals, swell together until you think you're going to just burst into tears. (All of this I'm writing as "you" because writing it in first person makes me feel less manly than Liberace)<br /><br />Hell, I don't know, maybe you won't like the song, maybe you're dead inside, but I can't get enough of it. Sia is my favorite singer. Hands down.<br /><br />If you *do* enjoy the track, do yourself a favor, get more. Wanna listen so you're not going in blind?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Sia">http://www.last.fm/music/Sia</a>absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-28704454795758864132009-04-18T17:42:00.002-06:002009-04-18T20:30:24.126-06:00BEDA 18: The one where I babble/panicIt's late at night, for me anyway, and I've got nothing.<br /><br />Any passing thought is grossly manhandled, flipped over, peeled apart, searching for anything, a kernel, a seed even, something funny that could germinate and become an actual blog. It's sad and it's pathetic, like watching a drunk man cross an icy street, you just know it's gonna end badly.<br /><br />It's hard to be spontaneously fun or witty. I'm not talking to anyone, I'm just spitting things out into the vast nothingness, hoping someone will look at this and find me the least bit entertaining. Frankly, that can be exhausting at times. I'm at my best, humor-wise, when I get to bounce off of other people. It's like playing tennis against yourself, anything that goes over the net is gonna seem like a false point, anything you miss is grounds for opening a main vein. Lose:Lose.<br /><br />So, you, and by you I mean "I," sit down, you make observations about squirrels going to war or your neighbors challenging you to a luge duel due to the amount of snow/ice you've had dumped on you in the past 24 hours, but nothing seems right, you're just grasping at straws.<br /><br />You panic, you babble, incoherantly, about Unicorns who dream of being professional taxidermists and lima beans that want to be cole slaw. The world goes surreal, text becomes wing dings and your thoughts are interrupted by irritating drumming noises that you find are really the ten-ton pounding of your own heart against the inside of your ribcage.<br /><br />Then you remember: No one reads this.<br /><br />That notion is like salve on a burn, cool and refreshing. Your anonymity means the only person you are letting down is yourself, and that happens all the time!<br /><br />Ah, the internet. Where everyone has a voice and that means no one is listening to mine.<br /><br />Until Tomorrow,<br />Anthony<br /><br />*Curls up in bed and drifts off to sleep*absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-2495270190290625802009-04-17T19:14:00.004-06:002009-04-17T19:52:25.689-06:00BEDA 17: The one where I cheatYou know, sometimes, the actual chats you have online are better than anything you could sit down to write. So, today I <strike>cheat</strike> give you chat dialogue here on my BEDA Blog. (Some of it has been edited down for length, but it's all basically there)<br /><br />Anthony: You're 11?!?<br />Nadia: Yes. Does that surprise you?<br />Anthony: Yes<br />Nadia: Why?<br />Anthony:Because I am old, and this whole "community of readers" thing means that I can't tell age anymore, everyone is fairly intelligent and interesting , it breaks my stereotypes!<br />Anthony: How will I live without my preconceived notions? *weep*<br />Nadia: Oh. Well I'm sorry.<br />Anthony: *sniffle* s'okay<br />Nadia: I suppose you'll have to make new notions<br />Anthony: Bah! Can't I just assume you're all actually aliens who have taken human form and infiltrated the lives of average human beings across the globe? It's far less radical a theory, and far less work for me...<br />Nadia: Well of course you can assume!<br />Anthony: Sweet!<br />Nadia: Really, its not that far off,<br />Nadia: Really, its not that far off.<br />Nadia: Oops, double post<br />Anthony: Note to self: Aliens now double posting in chat to spam out the *actual* human chat therein. Chat rooms potential weapon against invasion?<br />Nadia: Chatrooms?<br />Nadia: No way!<br />Nadia: Aliens are SO beyond that!<br />Nadia: They go for elevator and plane conversations<br />Anthony: Note to self: Aliens a little *too* fast to discredit chatroom weapon efficiency. Look into ways to weaponize idle chatter online in future.<br />Anthony: Note to self: Also, buy socks.<br />Nadia: Ha ha<br />Nadia: Why buy socks when we all know the SockEwoks are just going to take them once in the dryer?<br />Anthony: NOOO! Sockwoks = fear!<br />Nadia: Note: Aliens have changed subject to SockEwoks<br />Nadia: Don't worry, you're more afraid of them than they are of you.<br />Anthony: Oh, *phew* Was scared for a mo- wait a minute...<br />Nadia: Ha ha! I was hoping you'd notice.<br />Nadia: But it's true. The SockEwoks will show NO. MERCY.<br />Anthony: No Mercy? --><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nid-IJiJq80&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nid-IJiJq80&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />Nadia: AH!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />At which point, my interest in the conversation was pretty much over. I mean, really, how often do you get to subject people to music such as this? Also, at that point I decided it was time to do something productive with my night, like copy/paste the conversation over into my blog and lament that this is my life...<br /><br />*weep*<br /><br />Anyway, that is my <strike>cheat</strike> blog for the day. Mainly, I'm just trying to avoid thinking about having to drive thru the slush, ice, and snow on the way to work in the morning. I ended up in a ditch a couple weeks ago during a blizzard have been kind of gun-shy about driving in the snow since.<br /><br />Till tomorrow,<br />Anthony<br /><br />P.S. In case you are wondering, Nadia is a real person. You can find <a href="http://maureenjohnson.ning.com/profile/NadiaAlmasalkhiMurti">Nadia</a> over on the <a href="http://maureenjohnson.ning.com/">Maureen Johnson Ning</a>. Nadia said she was cool with me <strike>cheating</strike> blogging our chat for my post today.<br /><br />P.S.S. Hello to my BEDA Buddies: <a href="http://maureenjohnson.ning.com/profile/MadamRosmerta">Madam Rosmerta</a>, <a href="http://maureenjohnson.ning.com/profile/NicholasSchroeder">Nicholas Schroeder</a>, and <a href="http://maureenjohnson.ning.com/profile/Jessie">Jessie</a>! Here's hoping we have fun over the next few weeks, and you, you know, don't all gang up to have me committed...absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-15010865537572949812009-04-16T16:16:00.004-06:002009-04-16T16:53:55.436-06:00BEDA 16: DancevampbieI used to have this friend, Sam, who was a Vampire. I say *was*, because, oddly enough, when you friend eats one-too-many of your dates and you lock him up in a closet for awhile, they become these ghoulish, zombie-esque things, which are hardly fun to have around at all.<br /><br />We used to go dancing together , me trying to hit on girls, Sam *literally* hitting girls when they complemented him on his translucent, glittering skin before trying to consume them in parking lots and bathroom stalls before I would notice he was gone and drag him back out to the dance floor.<br /><br />Now Sam just dances to Michael Jackson's Thriller and songs in the Miley Cyrus-ouevre. I have no idea why, I tried to ask him about it, but the colorful ramblings he had before, like "Let me out of this closet, so I can eat your face," have been replaced by throaty moaning and words that rhyme with "Brains."<br /><br />Really, it's just sad. Sam was something of a soft-shoe artiste before the whole "Zombie" thing. Now, he hardly dances at all.<br /><br />He's something like the WB frog now, dancing only when it's just Sam and me. The rest of the time he's hissing and pawing at any passing person I bring by, which, I'll tell ya, is hell when my Grandmother visits.<br /><br />You would think he'd appreciate me giving him a place to live, what with the lack of sunlight, comprehensive reading materials, and a collection of work shirts, which he seems to love to gnaw on, that he'd be satiated, but NOOOOOoooOOOO. He's gotta break out at night and try to eat the neighbors Chihuahua.<br /><br />Fun Fact: You think taking care of dogs is hard, try a half-pound Chihuahua, named Sparkles, that shakes like nobodies business and moan/growls at you while trying to both hump and eat your leg.<br /><br />Anyway, I think I'm going to try to let them out in the woods again tonight. Sure, last time I got a hefty fine and had to take some classes on pet care at the Y, but this is really not working out for me. That, and I really need my shirts for work...<br /><br />Till Next Time,<br />Anthony<br /><br />P.S. Some of the things written above might not be 100% truthfull.absolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7254536854295826008.post-71389454715826228442009-04-15T19:24:00.005-06:002009-04-15T20:12:11.636-06:00BEDA 15: TV Shows? really?What? It's my day off, you'll get no "big thought" things today and you'll like it!<br /><br />Besides, as prophesied yesterday, I didn't do anything today but sketch for awhile, get my windshield replaced, and watch episodes of tv on Hulu. So, let's talk about the shows I'm watching, shall we?<br /><br />Comic Party: A light-hearted, fun little anime about Kazuki Sendo, a boy pushed into making Doujinshi, or "fan comics," by his overbearing friend, Taishi, and follows the triumphs and pitfalls of trying to make your own comics. The cast is, as to be expected, stereotypes made flesh, and the show is only 12 or 13 episodes long, but I really enjoyed it. More than likely, this is just because I am an aspiring artist and it hit me right where I live. Either way, fun little show and I'm glad I watched it, though, I'm pretty sure it's not something I'd buy.<br /><br />Dollhouse: The new Whedon show. I know, I know. I'm a giant Whedon fanboy and I don't care what he's doing, he can count me in the audience. After the first few episodes, I could see why people were, oh-so-cleverly, calling it "Dullhouse," but the most recent episodes have really put some life on the old bones and I can see this turning into a show I could really care about. You sort of had to go through the experience with the characters being who they were for the first 5 episodes before the changes that started to happen would really matter. Horrible thing to have to put on the air for a new show trying to gain an audience, but it really did its' job. I like the characters, I'm interested to watch every week and see what is going to happen to them all. What new imprints are going to show up? Who is the traitor in their midst? Why is Amy Acker always counted as a guest star and not part of the regular cast? Whatever. The show has gotten far better than it started out and I look forward to future episodes. Here's hoping they get picked up for a second season. I mean, the show is only missing one thing really...<br /><br />Castle: The new Nathan Fillion show. Yeah, that thing I said Dollhouse was missing, it's the Fillion factor. Hands down, Fillion is my favorite actor right now. I'd love to say I was someone who was looking for deep, meaningful storylines and characters that sparked conversations about their allusions to the works of Heidegger or Nietzsche, but, really, I just want to be entertained right now. Castle does that, it's a police procedural where I get to laugh at, and solve crimes with, Nathan Fillion. Why have we not had this before? Love it! That's all there is to it.<br /><br />Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Don't know about this one yet. I love the Terminator concept and the thought of Lena Headey as Sarah and Summer Glau (have I mentioned my Whedon-fanboyism yet?) as a Terminator was enough to get me to watch. Season 1 was interesting, but kind of blah. Season 2 I think they really hit their stride and the last few episodes have been fun to watch and I really hope they get to come back and tell me whatever the hell story they've been building to all season long.<br /><br />Slight aside, OMG, how many times do we need to alude to the fact that Cameron wants to make creepy, human/robot "Jungle Fever" love to John Connor? Seriously. Actually, the idea that he, as a red-blooded, 16-year-old boy has not been entirely seduced by the idea of it is unrealistic as hell. She's just parading around in front of him, in her underwear, every other episode now. *sheesh*<br /><br />I'm watching House, as well, but there's nothing much to talk about there. It's a medical drama where everyone gets mocked by a crippled, drug addicted, sarcastic doctor, who, *SHOCKINGLY*, really has a heart of gold under it all.<br /><br />Also, it might be Lupus.<br /><br />(faux-clever goodbye thing here)<br />Anthonyabsolutemediocrityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02861071892839522706noreply@blogger.com2